Automatic cathead



g- 3 w. HARTLEY 1,971,715,

AUTOMATIC CATHEAD Filed Sept. 25, 193} 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENT R Au 28, 1934. w: H T E 1,971,715 AUTOMATIC CATHEAD Filed Sept. 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR mam Patented Aug. 28, 1934 AUTOMATIC CATHEAD Walt '01" Hartley, on City, Pa., assignor to 011. Well Supply Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 25, 1931, Serial No. 565.030

8 Claims. (01. 254-173) My invention relates to the separation of a string of tubing into sections when the string is being pulled out of the well. More particularly, my invention relates to the breaking of the joint oetween sections of tubing.

When the string is being pulled out of the well, the lower or box portion of the tool joint is held by slips in the rotary table; and a tong is employed for rotating the upper or pin portion of the joint to unscrew the same, a second tong being employed to hold the box portion against rotation when this is found desirable, as for instance, when the drill string in the well is short, so that the weight of the string does not wedge the slips in gripping engagement. The pin is generally tightly engaged in the box, and the drill runners resort to various expedients for breaking the joint. Catheads have been used for this purpose; and in the constructions commonly to be found in the field, the cathead is made in one piece and keyed to a shaft of the main hoist. When the lower or box portion of the tool joint has been made fast in the rotary table, a breakout tong is placed in engagement with the pin end of the tool joint and a jerk line is extended from the tong, a few turns of the line being passed about the cathead. With power applied to the hoist, the jerk line starts the rotation of the pin. The tool joint is broken when the handle of the tong has been moved through an angle of 80 or less. The difficulty with such arrangement is to get the jerk line loose from the cathead when the joint has been broken. The prac- 35 ice has been for the operator to attempt to release the tension on the turns of .rope on the cathead. Since by thismethod, the human element enters into the operation of breaking the joint, many serious accidents have resulted.

My improved layout provides for automatically discontinuing the application of power to the 1 jerk line when the break-out tong has been turned through the proper angle. My invention furthermore provides an improved automatic reel 45 in which the power is unclutched after the drum .has been rotated to a predetermined extent.

In the drawings, in which I have shown one illustrative embodiment which the invention may assume:

60 Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an automatic reel embodying the principles of my invention; I

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the axis of the shaft of the reel shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the cooperation of the camtrack with the cam follower; and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view in elevation illustrating the method of operating the automatic reel in connection with the breaking of a 00 tool joint.

In Figure 4, I have shown diagrammatically a rotary table 1, driven through beveled gearing 2 by chair. and sprocket driving means 3. In order that the description may be more clear- 06 ly understood, a particular form of rotary table is shown partly in central vertical section and partly in elevation; but it is to be understood that my invention is not dependent upon a particular form of rotary table, such as the make and break rotary shown in Fig. 4. The rotary table shown is adapted to support a string ofpipe 4, ,this string of pipe passing through a spider 5 and being gripped by slips 6. The base 7 of the rotary is a stationary member, and the spider may be fastened thereto by a locking pin 8 to hold the spider and the string of pipe against rotation. It will be noted that there is also provided a locking pin 9 for connecting the spider to the rotary table 1, so that the string of pipe 4 is positively driven through the beveled gearing 2 and the chain and sprocket driving means 3. The spider is rotatably carried on a roller bearing 10 mou'nted in the base 7.

The main hoist is illustrated at 11; and on a projecting end of a shaft 12 of the hoisting mechanism is mounted an automatic reel. A breakout tongs 13 is shown applied to the pin end P of a tool joint, and a back-up tong 14 is shown applied to the lower portion or box B of the tool joint, a cable extending from the end of the tong 14 to a leg of the derrick where it is secured. A jerk line 15 connected to the outer end of the tongs 13 extends to the automatic reel 16, the end of the jerk line being connected to the drum of the reel.

This reel is shown in greater detail in Figures 1 and 2. A sleeve 17 is secured in suitable fashion to the shaft 12, so as to rotate therewith. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, this sleeve forms an integral portion of a cathead 18 of the usual form. A clutch surrounds the sleeve 1'7, an annular member 20 thereof being secured to the sleeve 17 by screws 21. A toothed member 22 surrounds the member 20 and is slidable axially thereof, but is held against rotation relative thereto by cooperating ribs and grooves on the respective members. Accordingly when the shaft 12 rotates, the toothed member 22 is carried with it. A second toothed clutch member 23 surrounds the sleeve 1'7 in position to be engaged by the teeth of the member 22 when the latter is shifted axially of the member 20. The toothed member 23 is freely rotatable relative to the sleeve 17, being separated therefrom by a bearing bushing 24. Movement axially along the sleeve 17 by the toothed member 23 away from the toothedmember 22 is prevented by a housing 26, mounted on the sleeve 17, but secured against rotation. A cylindrical member 27 is secured to the housing 26 and forms a continuation thereof to enclose the automatic reel. Within the cylindrical member 27 and mounted on the toothed clutch member 23 is a drum 28. The other end of the drum 28 is iournaled on the hub of the cathead 18, being separated therefrom by a bearing bushing 29. As shown, the drum 28 is welded at 30 to the toothed clutch member 23. It is apparent, therefore, that when the toothed clutch member 22 is shifted into engagement with the toothed clutch member 23, the drum 28 is connected with the shaft 12 to be driven thereby. I

I have provided means for controlling and operating the clutch, this means making it possible to manually apply the clutch, the release of the clutch being automatic and taking place after the drum 28 has rotated to a predetermined extent. As shown more. particularly in Figure 2, the toothed clutch is shifted axially by a clutch shifter 31, pivotally mounted on a pin 32, carried by the drum 28. The shifter 31 is in the form of a yoke having an arm 33 extending substantially parallel to the axis of the drum 28 and extending through an opening 34 in the end of the drum. A pin 35 is mounted in the drum 28, adjacent the opening 34, and provides a projecting end on which a crank 36 is mounted for rocking movement. One end of the crank 36 (Fig. 3) is provided with a slot 3'7, which receives the projecting end of the arm 33. Accordingly, as the crank 36 is rotated, it moves the arm 33 so as to shift the toothed clutch member 22 into and out of engagement with the toothed clutch member 23.

The other end of the crank 36 carries a cam follower in the form of a roller 40. The roller is arranged to be guided by a cam track 41 on the inner face of the housing 26. This cam track is in two sections as shown in dash-and-dot lines in Figure 3. With the jerk line fully extended, the roller 40 is adjacent the end of the cam track 41. The roller 40 may pass on either side of the cam track 41; and if it pass on the outside, the clutch will be retained in disengaged position. If the crank 36 be shifted to engage the clutch, the roller 41 will move along the inside of the track 41, thus holding the clutch engaged. After the drum28 has thus made a half turn or slightly more, the roller 40 comes into engagement with the second section of the cam track 41,this section being angularly disposed, as shown in Figure 3, so as to shift the crank 36 by moving the rolleryiO to its outer position. This disengages the clutch. The winding in of the jerk line having stopped, the drum 28 may idle on the sleeve 17; and if the jerk line is pulled outwardly, the drum 28 will be returned to the position shown in Figure 1. During the time that the drum28 is thus idling back to its original position, the roller 40 moves along the outside of the track 41. It is apparent, therefore, that my improved mechanism provides for automatic operation inasmuch as the driving connection between the driving member, such as the shaft 12, and the drum 28 is disconnected after a predetermined extent of rotation of the latter.

The engagement of the clutch member should be under the control of the operator; and to bring this about, I have provided a lever 43, pivotally mounted on the cylindrical member 27. An enlarged portion 44 of this lever extends through a slot 45 in the member 27; and when the lever 43 is rocked in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Figure 1, the enlarged portion 44 engages the roller 40 and rocks the crank 36 so as to bring the toothed clutch member 22 into mesh with the toothed clutch member 23. This starts rotation of the drum 28, and as above described, the driving of the drum 28 is automatically discontinued when the roller 40 engages the second section of the cam track 41.

It will be apparent that I have provided an improved layout which provides for automatic operation of a reel whereby the winding in of a jerk line is automatically discontinued after the breakout tong has been moved through the proper angle. It will furthermore be apparent that the improved reel forming a part of my invention has the advantage, that the operation of the clutch 100 is automatically yet positively brought about.

While I have described and illustrated one speciflc form of automatic reel and have shown a particular arrangement for breaking a tool joint, it will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the particular arrangement and construction shown, but may be variously embodied within the contemplation of the invention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An automatic reel comprising a winding drum, a driving member, a clutch connecting said driving member and drum, means for operating the clutch to disconnect the drum from the driving member after a predetermined arc of rotation, said means including a crank carried by the drum, a relatively stationary cam track, and a cam folcrank for co-operating with the cam o b the crank, and a manually operable lever ror shifting the crank to engage the clutch, said cam track holding said crank in positive engaging or disengaging position during the rotation of the drum.

2. An automatic reel comprising a winding drum, a driving member, a clutch to connect said 125 driving member to said drum, manual control means to move said clutch into connecting relation, means automatically to move said clutch to disconnecting relation when said winding drum has rotated to predetermined position, and means 130 to hold said clutch in either connected or disconnected position during the rotation of said drum.

3. An automatic reel comprising a winding drum, a driving member, a clutch connecting said driving member and drum, control means com- 135 prising a cam follower to move said clutch into engaging and disengaging position, a cam track for said control means having paths for said follower in disconnected and connected positions of said clutch and communicating at opposite ends, 140 means manually to move said follower at one end of said path from disengaged path to engaged path, and means at the opposite ends of said paths automatically to move said follower from the engaging to the disengaging path.

4. An automatic reel comprising a driving member, a winding drum, a clutch movable to connect or disconnect said winding drum from said driving member, relatively rotatable means for actuating said clutch and comprising a cam track 150 having separate faces to hold said clutch either in connecting or disconnecting position throughout a definite arc of rotation, a cam surface at one end oi said cam path to move said clutch to disengaging position, and manually controlled means at the opposite end of said path to move said clutch control mechanism to engaging position.

5. An automatic reel comprising a winding drum, a driving member, a clutch to connect said driving member to said drum, means to shift said clutch to connecting or disconnecting position, and control means for said clutch shitting mechm m p lns a cam ring section having outer and inner cam paths to be engaged by an element of said clutch shitting mechanism, means for manually shitting said clutch actuating mechap nism from one path to the other at one end of llill'ace at the oppoto return said clutch the opposite surface of 8. An automatic reel comprising a winding drum, a driving member, a clutch mounted between said driving member and said drum and movable to engage or disengage said member, a shitting lever for said clutch, manually operable means for shifting said lever to engage said clutch, a cam member having a surface to engage and hold said shitting lever in connecting position, a second cam at the end of said first cam having a surface to shift said lever to disengage said clutch, said first cam having a return surface to hold said lever in disengaging position.

WALTER HARTLEY.

said ring section, and a cam site end of said ring section shitting mechanism to said ring section. 

